Page 22 - The Gluckman Occasional Number Four

Arturo Tuskanini

As a child, Arturo Tuskanini displayed an unusual talent for
music. He loved to listen to music, to perform music, and even to
study music theory. His inclination was matched by an uncanny
ability to play by ear; he had perfect pitch and an almost
photographic memory. At the age of three he was repeating back
long phrases of Bach’s Chromatic Fugue and Fantasy after hearing it
once on the radio.
His parents encouraged him, releasing Arturo from most of the
everyday responsibilities of domestic life while he steadily
progressed in his
musical education. He
went from teacher to
teacher, amazing them
all with his knowledge
and proficiency. No
elephant had ever gone
so far so fast. At the age
of seventeen, his first
sonata for unaccomp-
anied trumpet was
published, to great
critical acclaim. Arturo
felt he had found his calling: he was a musician.